CPF remains on guard against Covid-19

CPF remains on guard against Covid-19

By The Nation

Thailand’s largest food company says it is using lessons from the Covid-19 epicentre in Wuhan, China to ensure 100-per-cent product safety as Thailand enters its 10th week without local transmission of the virus.

Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) has outlined its safety practices in all business units across the world – feed, livestock, processed food, logistics, warehouse and office – in a bid to guarantee its products’ quality and traceability. So far, none of CPF’s operations in 17 countries has been closed or disrupted due to the pandemic.

To ensure highest safety, CPF said it has imposed social distancing, increased the number of shuttle buses for employees, installed plastic screens for every table, health checkpoints and alcohol sprays, and body temperature scanners at site entrances.

On site, employees are required to wear gloves and masks all the time, while sanitisation has been made more frequent and automation introduced to reduce human contact during logistics processes.

Identifying workers’ confidence as key to undisrupted operations, CPF has launched a Covid-19 hotline to provide up-to-date information and advice in line with official disease controls for every employee, including migrant workers. 

CPF said its contract farmers have also adopted “new normal” practices. Damnoen Chaturavittawong, senior vice president of CPF’s Swine Veterinary Service Department, said international-standard animal and human disease control measures are being practised for both livestock and aquaculture businesses. Following the epidemic of African swine flu across Asia and the Covid-19 pandemic, additional stringent measures and guidelines have been exercised.

To protect livestock raisers from Covid-19, CPF said it has imposed the following measures at buildings and farms countrywide. 

1. Temperature monitoring for all employees. Even those not suffering fever must take leave if they have symptoms like coughing, running nose, chest pain or sore throat.

 2. Social distancing of 2 metres between persons, zero farm visits, alternate work hours, no travel to risk areas, and work-from-home policy. 

3. Personal hygiene concerning face masks and protective equipment and regular hand washing. 

4. Safe transportation with temperature checks, face masks and hand washing for all drivers, along with contactless transportation.

Meanwhile the firm says its CP Freshmart chain is following government safety guidelines for food delivery, including temperature checks of employees on arrival at work.Delivery staffs are required to wear a mask, sanitise their hands and ensure social distancing before handing over products to customers. The retail chain also encourages consumers to pay via digital payment, which is contactless, to minimise the risk of infection.

Soure: https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30392505